KOCHI (Commodity Online): Renowned agricultural scientist, MS Swaminathan will inaugurate the 11th World Spice Congress to be held in Pune from February 9 to 11, 2012.
The event organized by Spices Board of India and All India Spices Exporters Forum is expected to witness a record number of delegates from around the globe- from countries such as Canada, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Sweden, the UK, USA, Malaysia, South Africa, Syria, Australia, China, Italy, Poland, France, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Singapore, Turkey, Belgium, Indonesia, Israel, Austria, Ethiopia, Finland, Ukraine, Vietnam, UAE, Japan and Romania.
The 11th World Spice Congress will be attended by buyers, processors, manufacturers, producers and traders from over 35 countries.
Registrations are in full swing and over 200 international delegates and over 300 Indian participants have already registered for the Congress. The theme “Sustainability and Food Safety - Global Initiatives” is reported to be the key attraction for such a huge turnout of delegates from different parts of the world.
The deliberations will set the momentum which will have long lasting effects on pattern of world spice trade. Eminent speakers will be addressing the Congress through sharing of experiences and expertise to lay down the right path to secure a sustainable future for the industry. Sustainability and Food safety are two challenges that confront the industry, threatening its very existence, Spices Board said in a press release.
The majority of spices producers and exporters are unable to meet the fast changing standards set by the foreign countries. The criteria for ascertaining these standards differ from one country to the other. The Congress willl address the need to standardize these rules on an international basis. In view of the recent developments in the areas of contaminants and significant changes in the legal and regulatory environment in most countries around the world, the changes that can impact spices appear to be far reaching and challenging. The need to understand issues underlying these is prompting tabling a series of papers, Spices Board said.
The business sessions will focus on crops and markets, contaminants, sustainability initiatives, supply chain challenges for consumers and emerging market. The Congress will also showcase exhibition of spices which will be participated by companies from both within and outside India.
